Thursday, April 7, 2011

Black is Back Conference for Social Justice, Peace and Reparations



On March 26,2011, the Black is Back Conference for Social Justice, Peace and Reparations held a conference on the Other Wars, dealing with U.S. imperialism's wars on Haiti, Congo, Libya, Colombia, Africans in the U.S. and elsewhere — wars that are historically ignored by the white left. The above presentation is the overview done by Omali Yeshitela, Chairman of the BIB Coalition.

http://www.blackisbackcoalition.org/

The Obama Disaster, at Home and Abroad

There is nothing left of Obama, except the “moderate Republicrat corporate lawyer” that he has always been. He refuses to fight in the people’s interest, because he is not interested in the people – only in his foolish dream of a grand alliance with the GOP in service of Wall Street. But the GOP feels triumphant, and isn’t playing his games. “Obama has already sacrificed trillions in social spending trying to split the budget difference with Republicans who persist in seeking total victory.

By Glen Ford

April 06, 2011 "BAR" --  When you predict disaster, it’s no fun being right. Since long before Barack Obama was elected president, we at Black Agenda Report have said that this center-right corporate politician is a War Democrat whose foreign policy objectives – if not his rhetoric – are no different than George Bush’s. With Obama’s expansion of Bush’s wars and his opening up of a new, North African front, in Libya, we have been proved catastrophically right – right, to the point of tears.

When we said that Obama was a tool of the Wall Street bankers that backed his candidacy to the hilt, and that he would repay them with trillions in return, we were right – more right than even we imagined. We said that Obama was obsessed with trying to forge a grand alliance with the Republicans, and would wage an internal war against Black people’s interests and the left wing of the Democratic Party to do it. All that has come to pass. When the GOP took control of the U.S. House last November, we said it marked the “End of the Age of Obama,” and that the “best outcome that could result…is that the Republicans overreach and, in their white nationalist triumphalism, make it impossible for President Obama and congressional Democrats to reach an accommodation” with them. The GOP is over-reaching, while Obama has already sacrificed trillions in social spending trying to split the budget difference with Republicans who persist in seeking total victory. Obama has nothing to argue about with the GOP, having himself placed the entire Democratic social welfare legacy on the chopping block for the sake of deficit reduction. As we said back in November, gridlock – shutdown – a real battle and test of wills over people's programs, is better than Obama’s slick and slimy style of calibrated surrender.

 

The Obama disaster has forced those of us on the Black Left to organize around solid principles and to look at the political actors in our own communities with a much colder and unforgiving eye. So we now have the Black Is Back Coalition for Social Justice, Peace and Reparations, that brooks no compromise with Obamite imperialism and servitude to Wall Street. We have allied ourselves with others on the Left, who are holding a major anti-war mobilization in New York City on April 9, and in San Francisco on April 10. Last week, the first Black-led anti-Obama demonstration in Harlem took place, outside a gentrified restaurant where Obama was hosting a $30,000 a plate dinner.

Nellie Bailey, of Harlem Fightback Against Wars at Home and Abroad, challenged hundreds of protesters to “seize the moral high ground that has slipped away under the false illusion that Barack Obama represents the interests of working class people, much less working class Black people.”

Professor of Africana Studies, Bill Sales, asked, “How can Obama represent us, when he compromises with people who are trying to beat our brains out.” Obama, said Sales, “is a moderate Republicrat corporate lawyer. Don't drink the Kool-Aid.”

Charles Barron, a New York City Councilman, said the “last straw” for him was when Obama called up the president of South Africa demanding that former Haitian President Aristide be prevented from returning to his homeland. In a debate three years ago, Councilman Barron told me that he supported Obama, despite misgivings, because he wanted “to give a brother a shot.” Well, Obama has proven he ain't no brother. He has shot his wad, and Black America will be a healthier place when he is gone.

 

For Black Agenda Radio, I'm Glen Ford. On the web, go to www.BlackAgendaReport.com.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article27841.htm

Victory! Justice Department to Investigate Miami Police for Killings

by Nadra Kareem Nittle · April 07, 2011


How many people have Miami Police fatally shot since last July?

Not one, or even two or three, but a shocking seven.

Two of the victims were reportedly unarmed. All were African American, and all of the officers involved in the shootings are Hispanic.

To say that these details have raised eyebrows would be an understatement. The NAACP, the ACLU, People United to Lead the Struggle for Equality, Miami Commissioner Richard P. Dunn II, among many others, joined Florida Congresswoman Frederica Wilson in the charge to prompt the U.S. Justice Department to investigate the series of shootings. Change.org echoed the call for action last week by publishing an article and launching a petition that’s garnered more than 200 supporters calling on US Attorney Gen. Eric Holder to initiate a federal investigation into the Miami Police killings.

Only days after the petition’s launch, Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich sent a letter to Rep. Wilson informing her that the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division will “carefully review the information you have provided to determine what, if any, action is appropriate pursuant to their statutory authority.”

Although it won’t bring the victims back, the investigation’s results may lead to victims’ family members obtaining justice and to the Miami community no longer having to question if the authorities are, in fact, guilty of misconduct.

But the investigation is just a start. There’s also community outcry for Miami Police Chief Miguel Exposito to step down in light of the shootings. Under Exposito’s watch, the same police officer killed two people in nine days last August. Typically an officer is placed on desk duty after a killing until the department investigates the incident to rule out misconduct. And that’s not Exposito’s only alleged misstep. The Miami Herald reports that Exposito has refused to hand over records concerning the shooting of the first victim - DeCarlos Moore - to a police oversight board. According to the Herald, Miami Police shot Moore, who was unarmed, because he returned to his car without permission. What’s more is that witnesses to some of the shootings say the police department rebuffed them when they offered to provide their account of events.

Commissioner Dunn, who represents the district where the series of shootings took place, is among the many community members asking for Exposito to step down. He told the New York Times that keeping Exposito as chief “makes Miami look like a banana republic.”

“It’s not personal,” Dunn explained. “He’s just not competent to be a chief, that’s all.”

The Justice Department’s investigation may very well prove if Dunn is right.



https://news.change.org/stories/victory-justice-department-to-investigate-miami-police-for-killings

"There Was a Time In This Country..." -- Reverend Kiley Delivers Labor's Invocation

Joseph Stiglitz On "Of The 1 Percent, By The 1 Percent, For The 1 Percent"



66 Things You Can Grow At Home: In Containers, Without a Garden

By Rachel Cernansky
Mon Apr 26, 2010 12:55

Growing your own food is exciting, not only because you get to see things grow from nothing into ready-to-eat fruits and veggies, but you also don't have to worry about the pesticides they might contain, and you definitely cut down on the miles theyand you—have to travel.

As it turns out, with pretty minimal effort, anyone can be a gardener. My boyfriend and I are essentially first-timers this season and so far have the beginnings of strawberries peeking out, tomatoes are on their way, the basil's about ready for a big batch of pesto, and once the last frost hits, the peppers, kale, spinach, chard, and mesclun will be on their way, too. All on a tiiiny little terrace (with the help of a little DIY carpentry).

WATCH VIDEO: World's Greenest Homes: Rooftop Garden

If you're up to the challenge—and it really isn't much of one—growing your own food can be so rewarding. And so much cheaper! Just be sure to choose the right planter or container, learn how to maintain it properly, and go find yourself some seeds! (Or starter plants.) Like this idea? Be sure to check out these 6 Crazy Concepts for Micro Gardens That Actually Work to get inspiration for designing your own garden in a small space. While you're at it, check in with our Organic Gardening feature for tons more info on making your garden grow.

Here's a starter list of all the crazy things even urban gardeners, without space for a garden, can grow at home.

apple tree in container photo

Photo credit: Gardener's Supply

Tree fruits - including apples


1. Apples can be grown in a container; you can also grow them on the balcony or other small space using a technique called espaliering.
2. Kumquats
3. Avocados (plenty of extra tips online if you search)
4. Blackberries
5. Blueberries (sometimes helpful videos are available online)
6. Pomegranate
7. Cherries
8. Figs
9. Pears

lemon tree photo

Photo credit: Photodisc/Thinkstock

Citrus fruits


Citrus trees in particular are said to be good for beginning gardeners and are easy to grow indoors, so don't let inexperience or lack of outdoor space stop you from enjoying fresh-picked, hyper-local fruit.
10. Dwarf oranges
11. Grapefruit
12. Tangerines
13. Meyer lemons
14. Limes

Tropical fruits


Tropical fruits can also be surprisingly easy to grow indoors, even in non-tropical climates. Such as...

15. Bananas (look for container gardening tips online)
16. Pineapple
17. Papaya
18. Guavas (several varieties)

WATCH VIDEO: Living with Ed: Grow It On Site

hops plant

Photo credit: © iStockphoto.com/Thinkstock

The real surprises

19. Hops—yes, as in the "spice" ingredient in beer. Turns out they're easy to grow!
20. Aloe Vera
21. Strawberries
22. Tea (well, herbal tea)
23. Quinoa!

tomato plant

Photo credit: © iStockphoto.com/Thinkstock

The non-surprises


24. Tomatoes
25. Summer squash
26. Other squashes, like acorn and pumpkin
27. Hot Peppers
28. Sweet peppers
29. Cucumbers

Melons


30. Small cantaloupe
31. Jenny Lind melon (an heirloom cantaloupe)
32. Golden Midget Watermelon

herbs garden photo

Photo credit: Jupiterimages/Thinkstock

Herbs


Just about any herb grows well indoors—just be sure that if you're going to do any container-sharing, you do your research first about which herbs co-habitate well together. (Some will hog water, for example, and leave the others dried out.)

33. Basil
34. Oregano
35. Parsley
36. Rosemary
37. Chives
38. Catnip
39. Thyme
40. Sage
41. Parsley

kale container garden

Photo credit: Comstock Images/Thinkstock

Leafy Greens


42. Kale
43. Mesclun greens
44. Spinach
45. Swiss chard
46. Lettuces (plenty of options there, from micro-greens to head or loose-leaf)
47. Mustard greens
48. Collard greens
49. Arugula

Root Vegetables


50. Carrots
51. Beets
52. Potatoes

growing wheatgrass photo

Photo credit: Pixland/Thinkstock

Other healthy-sounding stuff


53. Sprouts
54. More sprouts: mung bean and lentil sprouts
55. Wheatgrass
56. Kohlrabi
57. Turnips
58. Rutabagas
59. Celeriac
60. Parsnips
61. Jerusalem Artichoke
62. Sugar snap peas
63. Rhubarb (not ideal in a container, but it can work)
64. Mushrooms (again, more tips online if you look)
65. Pole Beans
66. Aaaand... asparagus, although some disagree that it does well in a container. Try it if you're ok with a risk!

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/sixtysixthings-growhome-containers-withoutgarden.html

Kucinich - Bring the troops home. Secure our Economy

BP says feds could base spill fines on days, not barrels

By TOM FOWLER
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
April 6, 2011, 4:07PM

BP says the U.S. government could calculate any criminal fines for last year's Gulf oil spill based on how many days the Macondo well flowed rather than on how many barrels of crude leaked.

In court filings Tuesday, the oil giant responded to a lawsuit filed in December by the Department of Justice that seeks civil environmental penalties based on an estimated 4.1 million barrels of oil that spilled into the Gulf after the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon rig on April 20, 2010, killing 11 workers.

The well was capped July 15 and permanently sealed Sept. 19.

Federal officials said in their lawsuit that they would seek civil penalties of $1,000 to $4,300 per barrel based on whether it was determined there was willful negligence involved in the accident.

BP said in the court filings it was not willfully negligent and that federal officials can use a different method for assessing fines under the Clean Water Act — levying a fixed fine for every day the well flowed. That fine is $32,500 per day.

Using the daily figure fines could run from $2.8 million to $4.9 million, depending on whether one uses the date the well was capped or permanently sealed. The per-barrel figure could lead to fines ranging from $4.1 billion to more than $20 billion.

BP's partners in the well, Anadarko Petroleum Corp. and MOEX Offshore, a unit of Japan's Mitusi, also filed papers in court this week denying they acted negligently or engaged in willful misconduct.

BP said in its filings it believes the other companies should share remediation costs and fines, and that cleanup and restoration costs the U.S. charges BP should be reduced by whatever sums BP has paid or will pay state governments for those same services.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/energy/7508609.html

April 7th Action - Dear Congress: I Pay Taxes, I Did Not Cause the Recession.

Wed, 04/06/2011 - 11:56pm — Coffee Party USA

CLICK HERE to send this letter to your senators and representative.

I Pay Taxes, I Did Not Cause the Recession

 

Dear Congress,

Please remember: you are fighting over how to spend our money.  We the People pay 33.7% of the Federal Fund while corporations pay 7.2%. Many corporations pay no taxes at all.  Yet your entire focus during this budget battle has been on how much to hurt the people.

We did not cause the recession, the deficit, or the national debt.  We know this, and we need you to know that we are aware of a corrupt system in which corporations spend their vast wealth to lobby and manipulate you.

We know that's why the tax code so unjustly burdens us while favoring them. We know this is why Elizabeth Warren and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are under attack from the US Chamber of Commerce and other powerful lobbyists. We know that is why your policies reward multinational corporations, including those that DID cause the recession, with bailouts, bonuses, and tax benefits.

As you wrangle over how much to hurt our quality of life and jeopardize our future, consider ways to create jobs and invest in our future.

Congress should work together on how to help us, not fight over how to hurt us.

Sincerely,

_______________________

To send this letter (or your personalized version) to your Members of Congress, click CLICK HERE. If you get a message saying "No Congress Member found in your area," click the "participate" button again.

http://www.coffeepartyusa.com/congress-taxpayer

Gov. Scott Walker Chose Top Donor’s 26-Year-Old Dropout Son Over PhD And Engineer

By Guest Blogger on Apr 6th, 2011 at 4:40 pm

On Monday, ThinkProgress noted that Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI) was using state funds to pay more than $81,500 a year to Brian Deschane, a 26-year-old son of a major campaign donor with no college degree and two drunken-driving convictions. The job involved overseeing state environmental and regulatory issues and managing dozens of Commerce Department employees.

Yesterday, after the media reported on the hiring, Walker abruptly reversed course and removed Deschane from his position. Despite calling Deschane a “natural fit” just last week, Walker spokesman Cullen Werwise said Tuesday that the Governor decided “to move in another direction” after learning of the details of the appointment.

Yet, Deschane will still serve in the Administration, returning to his previous job where he made $64,000 a year. Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca (D) says he continues to be “concerned about whether [Deschane] was hired properly under the civil service system.”

Those concerns appear to be well-founded. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reveals that Walker Commerce Secretary Paul Jadin choose Deschane as head of environmental and regulatory affairs at the Commerce Department over two highly qualified former state officials with extensive experience in state government:

The first [potential candidate] Oscar Herrera, is a former state cabinet secretary under Republican Gov. Scott McCallum with a doctoral degree and eight years’ experience overseeing the cleanup of petroleum-contaminated sites.

The second, Bernice Mattsson, is a professional engineer who served since 2003 in the post to which Deschane was appointed.

Herrera and Mattsson didn’t get far in the process.

“Neither candidate was interviewed,” said agency spokesman Tony Hozeny. [...]

Still, Hozeny said, Herrera and Mattsson expressed an interest in the job of administrator of the Division of Environmental and Regulatory Services.

The scandal comes amidst a larger effort by Walker to strip the Department of Commerce of its regulatory and environmental functions and transform the Department “into a public-private hybrid in charge of attracting and retaining businesses.”

Kevin Donohoe

http://thinkprogress.org/2011/04/06/scott-walker-dropout-hire-update/

Chris Abele Elected Milwaukee County Executive In Blow To Scott Walker

First Posted: 04/ 6/11 12:23 AM ET Updated: 04/ 6/11 12:25 AM ET

Chris Abele has won the race for Milwaukee County Executive, defeating Republican Jeff Stone handily on Tuesday. The position was previously held by Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (R), whose controversial anti-union law has sharply divided the state.

Abele won more than 60% of the vote.

Abele used the recent controversy surrounding Walker to build support for his campaign. The Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel reports that "he [Abele] put much of his advertising firepower into trying to fuse Stone with Gov. Scott Walker and his controversial push to end most collective bargaining for public employees."

WISN in Milwaukee reports that Abele only recently came into prominence, explaining that he "was fairly unknown until about four months ago except in philanthropic circles."

The Journal Sentinel details how Abele ran his campaign:

Though a longtime supporter of Democratic candidates and liberal causes, Abele ran for county executive - officially a nonpartisan office - often sounding like a conservative. Like Stone, Abele vowed not to raise taxes and said he'd work hard to attract new business. Abele said he'll push to wipe out inefficiencies and service duplications and might turn to privatizations, selling off county assets and marketing park services to the suburbs.

A tightly contested Supreme Court race is still undecided in the Badger State.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/06/chris-abele-milwaukee-county-executive_n_845347.html

Scott Walker’s Attorney Says Justice David Prosser Is Vital To Anti-Worker Agenda

By Travis Waldron on Apr 6th, 2011 at 11:35 am


The success of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s anti-worker agenda is hinging on the outcome of the state Supreme Court election, according to an e-mail sent to Walker’s supporters by his chief counsel, Brian Hagedorn.

The race is currently too close to call, with challenger JoAnne Kloppenburg holding a 309-vote lead over Walker ally Justice David Prosser with five precincts left to report.

Prosser originally billed his reelection campaign as being about “protecting the conservative judicial majority and acting as a common sense complement to both the new [Walker] administration and Legislature.” Recently, however, he has attempted to claim independence. But Hagedorn’s e-mail laid it plain to Walker’s supporters: elect Prosser, or the governor’s agenda is in peril. From the e-mail:

“If Justice Prosser loses:

* The Supreme Court will shift from a 4-3 conservative majority to a 4-3 liberal majority.

* Governor Walker’s agenda could be stopped in its tracks by this new activist majority.

* Union bosses and their allies will be emboldened and further push to recall the brave Senators who voted for Governor Walker’s budget repair bill.

* (Chief Justice) Shirley Abrahamson and her allies will continue to drag down the reputation of the Court, with an additional vote to further push through their radical agenda.”

The last few weeks have been rough on Walker. His anti-union “budget” bill was held up in court. Union leaders filed a recall petition against one Republican member of the state Senate, with as many as seven more potentially coming. Yesterday, Wisconsin voters offered a referendum on Walker at the ballot box, soundly defeating his hand-picked candidate in the race for his old seat as Milwaukee County Executive. And the Supreme Court race, where Prosser was a clear favorite coming out of the primary, now appears headed for a recount.


http://thinkprogress.org/2011/04/06/david-prosser-walker-anti-worker/

Paul Ryan’s Multiple Unicorns

Paul Krugman
April 6, 2011, 9:00 am

Gosh. For a plan that supposedly sets a new standard of seriousness, Paul Ryan’s vision (pdf) depends an awful lot on unicorn sightings — belief in the impossible. Let me review the top three unicorns.

First, the plan assumes that tax cuts will set off a literally unprecedented boom. Here’s again, is what is assumed about unemployment:

DESCRIPTIONHouse budget proposal

So Ryan is claiming that unemployment will plunge right away; that by 2015 it will be down to the levels at the peak of the 1990s boom (and far below anything achieved under the sainted Ronald Reagan); and that by 2021 it will be below 3 percent, a level we haven’t seen in more than half a century. Right.

Then there’s the Medicare business. According to the CBO analysis, a typical senior would end up spending more than twice as much of his or her own income on health care as under current law. As Dean Baker points out, this means that seniors would end up paying most of their income for health care. Again, right.

But in a way, the worst part isn’t the Medicare plan: it’s the fact — which so far has not penetrated the debate — that the biggest source of supposed savings in the plan isn’t actually health care, it’s an assumption that federal spending on everything except health and Social Security can somehow be squeezed, as a percent of GDP, to a small fraction of current levels. Here’s the table, from Ryan’s own report:

DESCRIPTION

Notice the marked area at the bottom: Ryan is assuming that everything aside from health and SS can be squeezed from 12 percent of GDP now to 3 1/2 percent of GDP. That’s bigger than the assumed cut in health care spending relative to baseline; it accounts for all of the projected deficit reduction, since the alleged health savings are all used to finance tax cuts. And how is this supposed to be accomplished? Not explained.

This isn’t a serious proposal; it’s a strange combination of cruelty and insanely wishful thinking.


http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/06/paul-ryans-multiple-unicorns/